-Warns govt of his return, says ample time to hold General Elections in June
-PTI leaders including Imran booked
By Makhdoom
Shehryar Babar
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday gave the incumbent government an ultimatum; to announce elections within six days or have the “entire nation” return to the capital.
In an impassioned speech, the ousted premier claimed he was providing the coalition government with ample time to hold general elections in June. “It is my duty to unite the nation,” Imran said adding that the was grateful that the nation had united against the “imported government.”
The PTI leader accused the government of coming into power to dismiss the cases of corruption against themselves, “you have not come to run the country.”
Referring to the judgment passed by the Supreme Court, the PTI chief stated that his “peaceful protests” could not be legally hindered by the federal government. Empowered, Imran stated that he would gather two million people in the federal capital for his cause. The former prime minister along with other party leaders, on Wednesday had reached Islamabad after PTI workers and supporters also made their way towards the federal capital, pushing aside containers and braving tear gas shelling.
As the chairman’s caravan made its way to the famous D-Chowk after entering Islamabad, the federal government called in the Pakistan Army for the security of the capital’s Red Zone.
The decision was taken for the protection of important government buildings, including the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Parliament House, Presidency, Prime Minister Office and others.
As Imran Khan’s long march ended, the situation in the twin cities began to return to normal. With PTI workers leaving Islamabad’s Blue Area in convoys, the lack of transport caused problems for them.
The administration and police began removing obstacles to re-open the Murree Road and other highways.
According to reports, party workers severely damaged property in the Blue Area, setting fire to trees and burning telephone wires. The protest also resulted in pollution of the environment as garbage, including food waste was left scattered.
Departments, including the Capital Development Authority, have begun the rehabilitation work.
The Islamabad Police also reported that the party workers had entered the Red Zone after Imran gave a six-day deadline to the government.
“Police, Rangers and other law enforcement agencies stopped them with great restraint,” the spokesperson said.
The PTI sit-in at Karachi’s Numaish Chowrangi ended at 8 am on Thursday.
Former federal minister Ali Haider Zaidi had appealed to the participants to not leave until Imran Khan’s order, to which the participants had agreed.
After the PTI leader’s announcement to end the sit-in in Islamabad, the party’s Karachi President Bilal Ghaffar thanked the participants at the square and announced to end the sit-in, following which the workers dispersed.
The KMC personnel reached the spot and completed the cleaning work. Later, the traffic police restored the flow of traffic on both roads.
Capital Police on Thursday booked PTI Chairman Imran Khan and other leaders of his party in two separate cases over allegations of arson and vandalism in the capital the previous night.
A first information report (FIR) was registered at 1:50am at Kohsar police station over the complaint of Sub-Inspector (SI) Asif Raza under Sections 109 (abetment), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 186 (obstructing public service), 188 (disobedience), 353 (assault on public servant), 427 (causing damage) and 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to cause damage) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
SI Raza, in the FIR, said he was on duty, along with other police personnel, at Jinnah Avenue’s China Chowk when at 11pm, 100-150 people with PTI flags suddenly moved towards Express Chowk. He said the police tried to stop the PTI supporters due to the imposition of Section 144 in Islamabad but they did not listen and instead pelted stones at the police officers and also setting fire to trees.
Raza said 36 individuals, who were acting at the “behest of Imran and other PTI leadership”, were “brought under control”.
Meanwhile, the second FIR was registered at 3:20am on the complaint of SI Ghulam Sarwar under the same sections as the prior FIR. Sarwar claimed that he and other police officers were on duty at Express Chowk when at 12:30am, 100-150 PTI protesters — equipped with rods and inflammatory materials — chanted slogans, incited people and set fire to the trees and Metro Bus station near Geo Chowk, along with smashing mirrors of Geo News’ office.
SI Sarwar said as the police tried to disperse the crowd, the PTI workers resorted to pelting stones and also damaged a government bus. He added that 39 individuals were subsequently arrested.
The FIR filed on SI Sarwar’s complaint named Imran as well as Asad Umar, Imran Ismail, Raja Khurram Nawaz, Ali Amin Gandapur, Ali Nawaz Awan among others.
Both FIRs revolve around the events that transpired on the streets of Islamabad during the PTI’s Azadi March last night. PTI party workers and supporters were present at D-Chowk on Wednesday in the face of intense police shelling.
Television footage showed smoke rising from the ground and fires in the green belts adjacent to Islamabad’s main roads. The government claimed that the PTI supporters had set the fires whereas the claim from the PTI camp was that the fires were a result of police shelling. Neither claim could be independently verified.
